;)
April 12, 2023
Afternoon Update:
Michael Shear & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden on Wednesday made what amounted to a diplomatic toe dip in Northern Ireland, a territory that he said had been 'made whole by peace' in the decades since the Good Friday agreement brought an end to sectarian violence.... During his short stay in Belfast -- a whirlwind stop ahead of several days of Biden family-related excursions -- the president and his advisers generally tried to avoid thorny questions surrounding politics in Northern Ireland, where the legislature has been deadlocked after the Democratic Unionist Party pulled out over post-Brexit trade concerns. He told reporters earlier in the day that he was 'going to listen' during brief exchanges with leaders of the region's five main political parties. Mr. Biden met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain before the speech."
Tennessee. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Local officials unanimously voted on Wednesday to send Justin J. Pearson, one of two Black Democratic representatives ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives after a gun control protest on the House floor, back to his seat in the state legislature.The vote came less than a week after Mr. Pearson of Memphis and State Representative Justin Jones of Nashville were abruptly expelled from the legislature.... The unanimous vote by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners allows Mr. Pearson to return to his seat as early as this week, ahead of a special election later this year. Both Mr. Jones and Mr. Pearson have vowed to run for their seats." The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Matthew Brown of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats are urging the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into the expulsions of two Tennessee state representatives to determine whether their removal violated the Constitution or federal civil rights law. In a letter delivered on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) call on Attorney General Merrick Garland to 'use all available legal authorities' to conclude whether federal statutes were violated and 'take all steps necessary to uphold the democratic integrity of our nation's legislative bodies.'"
Katie Robertson & Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "The judge overseeing Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News said on Wednesday that he was imposing a sanction on the network and would very likely start an investigation into whether Fox's legal team had withheld evidence, scolding the lawyers for not being 'straightforward' with him.... In imposing sanction on Fox, Judge Eric M. Davis of the Delaware Superior Court ruled that if Dominion had to do additional depositions or redo any already done that 'Fox will do everything they can to make the person available, and it will be at a cost to Fox.' He also said he would very likely appoint a special master to investigate Fox's handling of discovery of documents and the question of whether Fox had inappropriately withheld details about Rupert Murdoch's role as a corporate officer of Fox News.... He said he would weigh whether any additional sanctions should be put on Fox." CNN's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, who could have guessed that a media outlet that makes its money lying to the public would lie to a judge overseeing a case in which the plaintiff accused the outlet of lying?
Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal investigators are asking witnesses whether ... Donald J. Trump showed off to aides and visitors a map he took with him when he left office that contains sensitive intelligence information, four people with knowledge of the matter said. The map has been just one focus of the broad Justice Department investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents after he departed the White House.... [One person] said the map might also have been shown to a journalist writing a book. The Washington Post has previously reported that investigators have asked about Mr. Trump showing classified material, including maps, to political donors." MB: There's a funny part near the end of the story where one of Trump's lawyers tries to get the DOJ off Trump's case. As for showing off classified maps, Trump probably has some of them framed & hanging on the walls of public rooms in his resorts.
Arthur Delaney of the Huffington Post: "New legislation from House Republicans aims to prevent local district attorneys from pursuing charges against former presidents. Thesymbolic bill is yet another show of support for Donald Trump, who faces the possibility of criminal charges in Georgia and was arraigned in Manhattan last week for allegedly violating state law with false business records. Republicans have subpoenaed a former prosecutor from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office ... and scheduled a Monday hearing to accuse Bragg of failing to prosecute real crimes. Now comes a proposal that Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) said would 'prevent political prosecutions' by moving cases against former presidents from state jurisdiction to federal court, where judges are confirmed by the Senate, an institution reliably influenced by elected Republicans."
Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump is suing his former attorney Michael Cohen for $500 million over allegations that Cohen violated their attorney-client relationship and breached a confidentiality agreement. According to a 32-page lawsuit filed by Trump's lawyers on Wednesday, Trump accuses Cohen of revealing 'confidences' in an 'embarrassing or detrimental way.' Cohen, the suit alleges, also breached a confidentiality agreement and spread 'falsehoods' about Trump 'with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends.' The lawsuit comes after Trump pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court on April 4 to 34 felony charges that he falsified business records to conceal $130,000 in reimbursement payments to Cohen, who paid adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 trying to keep her from publicly claiming she had an affair with Trump. Cohen is at the center of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into Trump's payment." Politico's report is here.
Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "Former President Trump's claim to a Fox News anchor that New York court employees were 'crying' and apologizing for his arraignment on felony charges is 'absolute BS' and doesn't remotely resemble what took place, a law enforcement source familiar with the details of what transpired that day told Yahoo News.... 'There were zero people crying. There were zero people saying "I'm sorry."'... Trump told [Tucker] Carlson, 'People that work there, professionally work there, that have no problems putting in murderers.... It's a tough, tough place, and they were crying.... They said, "I'm sorry." They said, "2024, sir. 2024." And tears were pouring down their eyes.'" Related story linked below under "Presidential Election 2024." ~~~
~~~ Marie: There's a tell here that many of you will recognize. Trump claims the tough, tough employees said, "2024, sir. 2024.&" I'll admit that most Trump tales are lies, but its a gare-un-tee that every story he tells in which someone calls him "sir" is an out-and-out fabrication. P.S. How do tears "pour down their eyes"?
Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Lawyers for ... Donald J. Trump, citing a 'deluge of prejudicial media coverage' concerning his recent indictment and arraignment in Manhattan, asked a federal judge late Tuesday for a one-month postponement of Mr. Trump's civil trial over an allegation that he raped a magazine writer in the mid-1990s. The request for the delay comes just two weeks before the civil suit by the writer E. Jean Carroll was scheduled for trial in federal court in Manhattan." Politico's report is here. MB: Wait, wait. Trump is adding to the "media deluge" by suing Cohen in relation to the indictment, so an unrelated trial should be delayed??
David Von Drehle of the Washington Post: "Since the 1960s, if not earlier, self-styled legal conservatives have been saying -- with perfectly straight faces -- that judges must not legislate from the bench.... Judges don't make the laws. They don't execute the laws. They just read the laws.... Was it all a lie? Of course it was.... Just how far [Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk] would venture into lawlessness was revealed when the Amarillo freelancer shrugged off all deference to the other branches of government to assert his personal power to undo approval of a medicine cleared for American patients some 20 years ago: mifepristone, used to induce miscarriages early in pregnancy and prescribed as part of the most common abortion procedure in the United States.... The Justice Department has appealed the ruling. It had little choice, given the usurpation of both executive and legislative authority. Congress has given authority over prescription medicines to the executive branch, not some Panhandle praetor."
NPR Is Tired of Trying to Reason with Elon Musk. Laura Kelley & Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "National Public Radio said on Wednesday that it would suspend all Twitter use, a little over a week after the social network designated the broadcaster 'U.S. state-affiliated media.' Twitter has since changed the label on the NPR Twitter account to 'Government-funded Media,' a designation it also gave to PBS. That label also appeared on the account of the BBC, the national broadcaster of Britain, until Wednesday, when it was changed to 'publicly funded media.' NPR said Twitter's move could damage its reputation.... In a letter to staff on Wednesday morning, John Lansing, NPR's chief executive, said posting on the platform would be a disservice to the staff's journalism. 'Actions by Twitter or other social media companies to tarnish the independence of any public media institution are exceptionally harmful and set a dangerous precedent.'..." ~~~
~~~ NPR's story, by David Folkenflik, is here.
U.K. Sammy Westfall of the Washington Post: "On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that [Prince] Harry will attend the May 6 [coronation of King Charles & Queen Camilla], though his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will remain behind in California with their 22-month-old daughter, Lilibet, and son, Archie -- whose fourth birthday is on Coronation Day."
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie: CNN is now requiring sign-ins to access their reports. I find this extremely annoying, but I signed up because CNN is one of the best and most comprehensive non-subscription sources for news stories. The news org also often breaks stories. If you do sign up, I suspect CNN will flood your email inbox.
Darlene Superville, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden embarked Tuesday on a journey of diplomatic and family celebration, highlighting the U.S. role of 25 years ago in ending deadly bloodshed in Northern Ireland while catching up with distant relatives in the Republic of Ireland. It's his first trip back as America's president. Biden arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night and was greeted at the airport by United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He will spend about half a day in the city on Wednesday, holding talks with Sunak before going to Ulster University to mark the Good Friday accord anniversary.... Monday marked a quarter-century since the Good Friday Agreement, signed on that day in April 1998, ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland that killed 3,600 people. Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is observing the milestone anniversary with a reunion of key players in the peace process along with Biden's visit." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A related Washington Post report is here.
Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "After months of fruitless negotiations between the states that depend on the shrinking Colorado River, the Biden administration on Tuesday proposed to put aside legal precedent and save what's left of the river by evenly cutting water allotments, reducing the water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada by as much as one-quarter. The size of those reductions and the prospect of the federal government unilaterally imposing them on states have never occurred in American history. Overuse and a 23-year-long drought made worse by climate change have threatened to provoke a water and power catastrophe across the West.... The river's flows have recently fallen by one-third compared with historical averages. Levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are so low that water may soon fail to turn the turbines that generate electricity -- and could even fall to the point that water is unable to reach the intake valves that control its flow out of the reservoirs." The AP's report is here.
Lindsey Makes a Friend. Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who once promised a 'bipartisan tsunami' against Saudi Arabia in the wake of the 2018 assassination of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, held what he called a 'very productive' meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. 'I just had a very productive, candid meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince and his senior leadership team,' Graham tweeted on Tuesday. 'The opportunity to enhance the U.S.-Saudi relationship is real and the reforms going on in Saudi Arabia are equally real.'... He added that he thanked Mohammed for Saudi Arabia's purchase of '$37 billion worth of Boeing 787s -- which are made in South Carolina -- for the new Saudi airline.'... [In October 2018,] Graham said he would not be 'going back to Saudi Arabia as long as this guy is in charge.'" MB: The MBS-Graham meeting took place in Saudi Arabia. This Twitter feed includes a photo of the two men smiling together in some Saudi palace-y place.
Scott Lemieux, in LG&$, extensively cites a Jezebel story: From Jezebel: "At what is clearly a critical time for confirming good federal judges, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) increasingly prolonged absence from the Senate is apparently holding up the process for a number of President Joe Biden's judicial picks this year.... Feinstein's team has been tight-lipped about when, if at all, she'll return to D.C." As for Lemiuex, he just can't think of a time when "an erroneous belief in one's own indispensability ever had bad consequences for the country." MB: Besides, judges & justices, they can't be all that important, can they? ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "Of the 49 Republicans in the Senate, [Susan] Collins is also one of just two who have said anything about [Judge Matthew] Kacsmaryk's ruling [banning mifepristone].... 'In 2019, I voted against Judge Kacsmaryk's confirmation, and I disagree strongly with his decision in this case,' Collins said in a Monday statement. 'Mifepristone is an FDA-approved drug that has been on the market for more than two decades and extensively studied.' The other one, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), celebrated the decision on Twitter as a 'victory for pregnant mothers & their unborn children.'... Of the 49 Republicans in today's Senate, 38 were there for Kacsmaryk's confirmation vote. On Tuesday, HuffPost reached out to all 38 of them for comment on whether they are pleased with his ruling on abortion medication. None gave an answer. Only Collins and Hyde-Smith had previously weighed in." ~~~
~~~ Hannah Hartwig of Pew Research Center: "Overall, 53% of adults say medication abortion -- that is, the use of a prescription pill or a series of pills to end a pregnancy -- should be legal in their state, while fewer than half as many (22%) say it should be illegal. About a quarter (24%) say they aren't sure.... A majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (73%) say medication abortion should be legal in their state, while fewer than half as many Republicans and GOP leaners (35%) say the same."
Leigh Ann Caldwell, et al., of the Washington Post: "Congressional leaders in the House and Senate have been given access to the classified documents recovered from the homes of ... Donald Trump, President Biden and former vice president Mike Pence, according to two people familiar with the information.... The classified documents were shared last week with the 'Gang of Eight,' a bipartisan group of congressional leaders who typically receive briefings on classified intelligence. The documents were shared after months of pressure on the Biden administration from Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "The Senate plans to consider a resolution next week condemning Donald Trump's call to 'defund' the Justice Department and FBI, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a letter to colleagues Tuesday, setting up a vote that will test the loyalties of Republicans to the former president. A day after being arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on state charges last week, Trump said in a social media post that 'Republicans in Congress should defund' the two federal law enforcement agencies 'until they come to their senses.' His comments echoed those of several Republican House members, notably Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has called for using Congress's 'power of the purse' against agencies that he claims have engaged in 'egregious behavior.'" MB: A political gesture that seems a little stupid to me. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Alvin Bragg Is Tired of Trying to Reason with Gym Jordan. Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: “The Manhattan district attorney on Tuesday sued Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio in an extraordinary step intended to keep congressional Republicans from interfering in the office's criminal case against ... Donald J. Trump. The 50-page suit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, accuses Mr. Jordan of a 'brazen and unconstitutional attack' on the prosecution of Mr. Trump and a 'transparent campaign to intimidate and attack' the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg.... Lawyers for Mr. Bragg are seeking to bar Mr. Jordan and his congressional allies from enforcing a subpoena sent to Mark F. Pomerantz, who was once a leader of the district attorney's Trump investigation and who later wrote a book about that experience.... Mr. Bragg's lawyers ... also intend to prevent any other such subpoenas, the lawsuit says.... 'Rather than allowing the criminal process to proceed in the ordinary course, Chairman Jordan and the committee are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation and obstruction,' the suit said, adding that the district attorney's office had received more than 1,000 calls and emails from Mr. Trump's supporters -- many of them 'threatening and racially charged' -- since the former president predicted his own arrest last month." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) CNN's report is here.
Casey Gannon & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Donald Trump's close presidential aide and speechwriter Stephen Miller returned to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington on Tuesday after the courts ordered that he and other top advisers must share their recollections of direct conversations with the then-president related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "A retired firefighter who threw a fire extinguisher at a group of police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has been sentenced to more than four years in prison, federal officials said Tuesday. Prosecutors said the former firefighter, Robert Sanford, 57, of Boothwyn, Pa., had struck three police officers in the head with the extinguisher, injuring at least two of them. Mr. Sanford, who later said he had gone to the Capitol at the direction of ... Donald J. Trump, also threw a traffic cone at the officers and called them 'traitors,' according to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On Tuesday, Mr. Sanford was sentenced to 52 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release after having pleading guilty in September to assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon."
Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "A judge ruled on Tuesday that Fox News could not argue that it broadcast false information about Dominion Voting Systems on the basis that the allegations were newsworthy, limiting a key line of defense for the network as it faces the beginning of a potentially costly defamation trial next week. The judge, Eric M. Davis of Delaware Superior Court, also ruled that Dominion could not refer to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol except in very narrow circumstances, saying he did not want jurors to be prejudiced by events that weren't relevant to the central question in the case: Did Fox air wild claims about Dominion's purported involvement in a conspiracy to steal the 2020 presidential election from Donald J. Trump knowing that they were lies? In the first of two days of pretrial hearings, Judge Davis set many of the parameters that will govern how the trial is run...." CNN's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Fox Lawyers Lied to the Judge. Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "Justin Nelson, an attorney for Dominion [Voting Systems], told the judge in the case that the company had been led to believe that [Rupert] Murdoch held the title of officer only for Fox's parent company. But over the past few days, he said, Dominion learned that the mogul also holds an officer title for Fox News.... Judge Eric M. Davis echoed Nelson's frustration with Fox, saying the missing information about Murdoch's title may have affected his decision-making regarding a recent ruling that narrowed the scope of the case. 'I could have made an entirely wrong decision,' Davis said. Addressing an attorney for Fox News, the judge said the network has a 'credibility problem.' 'My problem is that it's been represented more than once to me that he's not an officer of Fox News,' Davis said.... '... I have to figure out how I deal with that.'" The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "A former Fox News producer [Abby Grossberg] who is suing the network alleges the cable news giant has recordings of Rudy Giuliani admitting he cannot prove his allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.... Grossberg filed amended complaints on Tuesday in which she claims Fox News has recordings of Giuliani and other Trump allies admitting they could not prove their public allegations of voter fraud. She states in one recording that Giuliani told [Fox 'News' host Maria] Bartiromo the Trump team could not demonstrate widespread election rigging.... Grossberg further alleges the existence of a recording featuring her, Bartiromo, and a 'high-ranking advisor to and spokesperson for President Trump and the Trump 2020 presidential campaign.'... In a statement to Mediaite, Fox News said it has fulfilled its [discovery] obligations [in the Dominion case]." MB: Uh, not according to the judge.
The Hard Life of a Multi-billionaire. Faiz Siddiqui of the Washington Post: "Nearly six months into his ownership of Twitter, Elon Musk says he's been sleeping on a couch inside a seventh-floor library of the company he bought for $44 billion, which is being run by his dog. The Twitter CEO ... addressed a range of topics in a spontaneous interview Tuesday night on the site, and unloaded on the interviewer over questions about the alleged increase in misinformation since he took over.... Musk ... hailed many of the changes he has made since buying the company in October and laying off more than two-thirds of the staff in the ensuing weeks. The layoffs, he said, were 'not fun at all ... painful.'"
Champe Barton & Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "More than 100 people allege that their P320 pistols [made by SIG Sauer] discharged when they did not pull the trigger, an eight-month investigation by The Washington Post and The Trace has found. At least 80 people were wounded in the shootings, which date to 2016.... The injured included both casual and expert firearm owners whose guns fired in their homes and offices and in busy public places.... In two cases, the guns went off on school grounds. Interviews with more than a dozen victims, video recordings, and a review of thousands of pages of court documents and internal police records reveal a pattern of discharges that were alleged to have occurred during routine movements. These have included the holstering or unholstering of the P320, climbing out of vehicles and walking down stairs. In several cases, records and videos show, the gun fired when a victim's hand was nowhere near it..... In a written response to questions, SIG Sauer, based in Newington, N.H., denied that the P320 was capable of firing without a trigger pull and cited accounts of unintentional discharges with other firearms as evidence that such issues with the P320 are neither uncommon nor suggestive of a defect with the gun."
Presidential Election 2024. Katie Glueck & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "President Biden and his party have selected Chicago to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, according to the Democratic National Committee, elevating a large liberal city in the heart of the Midwest, a critical battleground region. The convention will be held Aug. 19-22 of next year at the United Center, the committee announced." An ABC News report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Reid Epstein & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "President Biden's decision to host the Democratic National Convention in Chicago represents the triumph of practicality over sentimentality. He picked a major Midwestern city with ample labor-friendly hotels, good transportation and a billionaire governor happy to underwrite the event. That combination overpowered the pull Biden felt from runner-up Atlanta, the capital of a state Mr. Biden won for Democrats in 2020 for the first time in a generation. Chicago -- unlike the last four Democratic convention cities — is not in a presidential battleground. But it is the cultural and economic capital of the American Midwest. The United Center, the convention arena, sits about an hour away from two critical presidential battleground states, Wisconsin and Michigan, with sometimes-competitive Minnesota nearby.... Here are the top reasons Chicago was selected."
Meg Kinnard of the AP: "Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is taking the next official step toward a bid for president in 2024.Scott is set to announce the formation of an exploratory committee, according to a person familiar with his plans...." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Kathryn Watson of CBS News: "Former President Trump said he won't drop his bid for president even if he's convicted of felony charges in the Manhattan criminal case against him. When asked by Fox News' Tucker Carlson if any of his legal troubles would cause him to drop out of the race, Trump responded, 'No, I'd never drop out -- it's not my thing. I wouldn't do it.' The Constitution does not prevent someone who has been charged with or convicted of a crime from seeking or holding office.... The former president also claimed that staff members at the courthouse in Manhattan 'were crying' and said "'I'm sorry'" to him. 'They'd say "2024, sir, 2024,'" Trump claimed." MB: Is there a New York jail cell big enough to hold a Cabinet meeting" ~~~
~~~ Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "Most of the interview covered international affairs, with Trump reiterating favorable views of foreign dictators.... As for the people who investigated alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election to benefit him, Trump said they should be arrested for 'treason.' Carlson lauded Trump as 'moderate, sensible and wise.' Messages released in defamation litigation by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News showed Carlson in early 2021 saying of Trump, 'I hate him passionately' and that he looked forward to being able to ignore him."
Beyond the Beltway
Today's Most Hilarious News. Arkansas. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is asking applicants to serve on state boards and commissions to write explanations of what they admire about her leadership most, reported the Arkansas Times on Tuesday." Answers are limited to 500 words.
Florida. Jeanna Smialek & Linda Qiu of the New York Times: Gov. Ron "DeSantis has begun to criticize Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, in speeches and news conferences. He has alleged without evidence that the Biden administration is about to introduce a central bank digital currency -- which neither the White House nor the politically independent Fed has decided to do -- in a bid to surveil Americans and control their spending on gas. He has quoted the Fed's Twitter posts disparagingly.... [Mr. DeSantis] warned during an April 1 speech, with no factual basis, that Democrats wanted to use a digital currency to 'impose an E.S.G. agenda,' referring to environmental and social goals like curbing consumption of fossil fuels or tightening gun control.... Mr. DeSantis's claims echo those on right-wing social media, and they are in line with the interests of important Republican donors: Many banks and cryptocurrency firms are adamantly opposed to the idea of a central bank digital currency, worried that it would take away business. Florida, in particular, has been friendly to the digital currency industry, with lawmakers passing favorable legislation.... The Fed has been researching both the potential uses and technical feasibility of a digital currency, but has not yet decided to issue one. Mr. Powell has made clear that the Fed 'would not proceed with this without support from Congress.'"
Kentucky. Tim Arango of the New York Times: "The 25-year-old man who opened fire Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville, Ky., killing five people, told at least one person that he was suicidal before the rampage and legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting at a local dealership last week, officials said Tuesday morning." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Michigan. Beth LeBlanc of the Detroit News: "An estimated one million Michiganians will have certain misdemeanor and felony records automatically expunged or set aside starting Tuesday as the state begins to implement the final step in a 2020 law designed to give residents a 'clean slate.' On Tuesday morning, Michigan State Police will begin running software it's built over the last two years to sort through the state's criminal history database to determine which felonies and misdemeanors should be automatically expunged or set aside under the 2020 law and alert courts to those cases. The automatic expungement law will set aside certain misdemeanors after a seven-year, post-sentencing waiting period and certain non-assaultive felony convictions after a 10-year, post-sentence completion waiting period. Eligible convictions that are expected to be expunged include misdemeanor marijuana offenses for possession and use of the drug that became legal for adult recreational purposes in 2018."
Missouri. Kate Johnston of the Heartland Signal: "Missouri House Republicans voted to defund all of the state's public libraries, in a proposed $45.6 billion state budget that will soon move to a vote in the GOP-controlled state Senate. The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson (R) proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs. Missouri House budget committee leader Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage) proposed cutting library aid due to a recent lawsuit filed against the state last February. The lawsuit -- filed by the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association -- seeks to declare Senate Bill 775 unconstitutional, a bill that has resulted in over 300 books getting banned from school libraries, many of which include LGBTQ characters or racial justice themes." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Who needs books anyhow, when you've got Fox "News" and Alex Jones' Story Hour? As for those kiddie programs, everybody knows we don't care about kids once they leave the womb. And diversity? You've got to be kidding.
Tennessee. Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: Louisville "Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) told viewers during a news conference Tuesday that the firearm that was used to kill five people and injure eight in Louisville on Monday will ultimately be put up for auction.... Greenberg explained that a law the state passed in 1998 prohibits law enforcement from destroying confiscated firearms -- even when they have been used in crimes. Instead, those firearms -- including the AR-15-style rifle used in Monday's shooting at Old National Bank -- are required to be sent to Kentucky State Police, which sells the weapons to federally licensed gun dealers.... 'The laws we have now are enabling violence and murder,' added Greenberg, who himself survived a shooting at his campaign office in February 2022.... In February, Greenberg announced that Louisville police would remove firing pins from guns and add labels warning that the weapons may have been used in a homicide before sending them to Kentucky State Police. Greenberg has lobbied for Louisville to have the autonomy to set its own gun restrictions, including the ability to destroy confiscated firearms, but a bill that passed in 2012 prevents Kentucky cities and counties from doing so." ~~~
~~~ See also Akhilleus' comment in yesterday's thread. ~~~
~~~ Here's a Shocker. Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) on Tuesday signed an executive order attempting to strengthen the state's background checks for gun purchases. He also called on state lawmakers to pass what are known as red flag laws that would temporarily remove guns from people deemed dangerous.... The executive order, Lee said, would attempt to beef up background checks by requiring that criminal activity by a gun owner be reported to authorities. It would also require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to examine the state's current process for purchasing firearms and submit a report within 60 days. It is time to listen to voters calling for gun reform, Lee said. 'It's going to require coming together, laying down our previously held positions, potentially,' he said. Tennessee is one of the deadliest states for gun violence and has some of the most lax gun measures in the country. A 2021 bill that would have established red flag laws in the state failed." Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: No, nitwits, Lee is not "taking away your Second Amendment rights."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al.
The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "On Wednesday, the European Parliament will hold an inter-committee meeting with lawmakers from Kyiv regarding Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union -- a process that usually takes years.... President Biden spoke with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since March.... The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group claims his forces now control about 80 percent of the embattled city of Bakhmut.... When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization last year in support of his invasion of Ukraine, thousands of men fled the country or went into hiding. But tough new measures approved by Russia's lower house of parliament on Tuesday will make it almost impossible for Russians to dodge conscription in the future, writes The Washington Post's Robyn Dixon."
Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "Senior Biden administration officials sought on Tuesday to calm anger in foreign capitals over the leak of classified military and intelligence documents, but had little new information about the source of the breach or its motive. In their first public comments since the documents appeared online several weeks ago, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said they had spoken to their Ukrainian counterparts. Mr. Blinken also said he had spoken to unnamed American allies to 'reassure them about our own commitment to safeguarding intelligence.'... Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin projected calm even as some foreign governments were roiling over the breach, prompting criticism of the United States for conducting surveillance of its allies and claims that the documents could not be trusted."
Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "President Emmanuel Macron landed in China to a red-carpet reception and all the pomp of a state visit.... But Mr. Macron's reception on returning to Europe has been chilly. Already embattled at home, facing huge weekly protests in the streets, he now finds himself excoriated abroad for what has been criticized as his naïveté -- first with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ... and now with China's president, Xi Jinping.... The fallout from the China trip has left the French president more isolated than at any time in his six-year presidency, unpopular in France and mistrusted beyond it.... In short order in China, Mr. Macron managed to alienate or worry allies from Warsaw to Washington, with his embrace of what a Sino-French declaration called a 'global strategic partnership with China.' He adopted the Chinese lexicon of a 'multipolar' world, freed of 'blocs,' liberated from the 'Cold War mentality,' and less reliant on the 'extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar.' Most worrisome, particularly for the United States, he suggested in an interview with Politico and French journalists on the way home that the security of Taiwan is not the problem of a Europe that must resist becoming America's 'vassals.'" Read on. Macron's hotdogging is a serious problem. ~~~
~~~ Ishaan Tharoor writes the Washington Post's story.
Share Article
Reader Comments (8)
Two quickies…
Just wondering…did Aunt Pittypat get to fondle the glowing orb?
I once read an interview with Pittypat in which he happily admitted that what matters most to him as a human being, is feeling like people see him as “relevant”, meaning, in Pittypat’s mind, famous, ie being in the news. This allows him to get re-elected, which then allows him to remain…”relevant”. This goal trumps everything else: truth, consistency, ethical behavior, you name it. If he has to fuggedabout stuff he once said about “doing the right thing” or not supporting crooks like Trump (or MBS), well…hey, gotta stay…”relevant”, amirite?
Another Republican prolapse in courage.
Speaking of which…
Stephen (stuff those brown babies in cages!) Miller is going back for more testification, eh?
Hang on…hahahahahahahaha…but that doesn’t mean telling the truth, does it? I imagine several possibilities. One, an endless string of “Can’t recall”, “Don’t know”, “Wasn’t there at that exact moment”…
Two, out and out lies.
Three, doing the ol’ under the bus toss if it looks in any way like his viperish ass could get in trouble.
Normally I might express galactic amazement at how such a horrible person was placed in a position of power over other human beings, but then you can say that about pretty much everyone chosen by Trump to work in the White House. The kid getting the fucking coffee probably had his own little vivisection table in his basement for slicing open living animals.
Okay, so not very quick, but…Jesus, these fucking people.
Besides the question of a jail cell big enough for a cabinet meeting, there's the inconvenience of having to clear travel with a probation officer and the very real possibility of being denied due to flight risk.
So happy to see that someone is finally smacking these bully boys in the face.
Kudos to Alvin Bragg for standing up and hitting back at cowardly snipers and supporters of sexual predation like Gym Jordan.
Democrats too often bring a plastic butter knife to a gun fight at which the traitors show up with RPGs.
When progressives, Democrats, and others on the side of rule of law, democracy, and basic American principles fight back, good things happen. Look at Wisconsin. Look at how Democrats in Tennessee are standing up to the authoritarian racists in Tennessee, birthplace of domestic terrorism (KKK, founded in Pulaski, TN and still going strong).
Remember when Biden called out the fascism on the right? Lots of outrage and pearl clutching, but it made an impact. It took years for anyone to come right out and call the Fat Fascist a liar. Why? This asshole is the poster child for genetic mendacity. He IS a liar. They ARE fascists. Just say so. And kick them in the ass to boot.
We are in a war right now. The traitors are going at it hammer and tong. Democrats need to punch back, like Alvin Bragg. And in the most public of ways so the vermin can’t run and hide.
More of this, please. Far too often these scum sucking pigs get away with stuff that could mean jail time for non-traitors. And far too often, Democrats don’t want to get their hands dirty bothering with the lies, attacks, innuendos, insults, and did I mention lies? But this gives too many members of the public the impression of weakness and the idea that maybe the traitors have a point. It’s also why so many in the media go hard after Democrats, thinking that they won’t fight back, while treating the liars and violent assholes on the right as untouchable.
Fuck that.
Go Alvin. Paper these pricks.
Just a thought while waiting on Fani Willis and Jack Smith to drop more bombs on Fatso…
Given the typical incompetency of his usual brand of lawyers (he showed up in the NYC courtroom with two who had never set foot in a courtroom, never tried a case, but they’re probably obsequious and subservient enough for the fat king to pass muster) I’m guessing his “legal team”, such as it is, won’t be able to handle the new case load which will give Fatty the perfect excuse to demand that no new indictments should be brought against his royal person, or at least that they get delayed for ten or twenty years.
To hell with that shit. Would prosecutors be kind to a murdering mob boss who complained that there were just too many indictments against him? You can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.
But if he knows anything, Trump knows how to game the legal system. And here’s the other thing…the NY case likely won’t come to trial for a year. Same with the Georgia case and the federal prosecution. That puts us in the middle of the 2024 campaign, which will give that fat fuck additional opportunities to scream and beat his tiny hands on his high chair tray.
(Merrick Garland should have made prosecuting this asshole for Jan 6 a priority right out of the box!)
Anyway, it is what it is. If he ends up in jail for any of these crimes, there’s nothing in the books that says he couldn’t run for president from the slammer. Hey, at least then we wouldn’t have to see that godawful ill-fitting blue suit and that tie that goes down to his knees.
He’ll be wearing his favorite color.
Orange.
Meantime, there’s a rape case coming and a civil suit looking to kneecap the criminal enterprise he call his company.
The story about the Missouri House Republicans threatening to defund libraries across the state makes those folks in Llano County Texas I referenced last night seem mere pikers.
Wonder if the Llano troglodytes are embarrassed?
Seems they should be.
Go big or not at all, I say.
Q: 'What is an accomplishment of the Governor’s that you admire the most?'
A: As press flack, her ability to lie to you with a slight snicker that tells everyone that she knows she's lying, and that the person(s) to whom she lies know(s), and that she'll happily lie to every question you can ask all day long.
As governor, her absolute lack of empathy or caring about the people in her state.
Wait..before proposing to cut all funding of public libraries in Missouri, the line item was $4.5 million. I had to read that twice. $4.5 million. For all the public libraries in the state? About 400 libraries. That works out to a little over $11,000 a year for each library. You couldn’t even keep the lights on for $11K.
Library funding was pretty much already non-existent. I’ll bet they spend triple that on publicly funded gun ranges.
Voters have to stand up to this authoritarian bullshit. “You gonna criticize our fascism? Then fuck you. No funding for anything!”
We need to sweep these vermin into the gutter. Oops. Better not say “vermin”. With libraries shuttered, there are no places they can go to look up that word.
Dear Mr. @Patrick: Thank you for your application. Despite your impressive resumé, the Governor could not find a post she felt was just the right fit for you.
s/Lotta Snickers
Special Aide to the Governor